Pipe cleaning machine



Oct. 11, 1960 R. e. HUNT 2,955,307

PIPE CLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1958 INVENTOR.

Robert G. Hum

54 .53 5 Afforneys fid Stan-3s Patent a, A

2,955,307 PIPE CLEANING MACHINE .FiledSept. 26,1958, Ser. No. 763,578 2Claims. (11. -1043 This invention has to do generally with tools used byplumbers for cleaning and removing obstructions from waste pipes,particularly pipe cleaning tools utilizing an elongated member in theform of acoiled spring of small diameter, known as a plumbers snake,which is advanced through the pipe and rotated, the snake carrying ;atool of appropriate design at its forward end for engaging and.dislodging or cutting the obstruction in the pipe.

Spring type snakes are ordinarily stored or housed in a drum orcontainer having a conoidal wall through .the axis of which the snake isfed and retracted axially of itself as the container is rotated to causerotation of the snake. Normally the snake is advanced manually althoughsome tools have power-driven means for advancing the snake. So far as Iknow, presently used tools which embody power-driven means for advancingthe snake are either expensive, cumbersome, heavy, or have a relativelylow safety factor, being prone to cause breakage of the snake sinceeither no means or inadequate means is provided for releasing thedriving thrust from the snake in the event the snake him an obstructionwhich suddenly stops its axial movement.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel pipe I cleaning machineadapted to store and house a coil spring type of snake and tosimultaneously rotate the snake and feed or retract it at various speedsat the will of and under full control of the operator.

Another object is to provide a pipe cleaning machine of the typeindicated embodying a novel snake drive means adapted to impart axi-almovement to the snake which is so constructed that no damage can resultto the snake in the event of the sudden stoppage of its axial movement.

A further object is to provide novel power-actuated means for releasablyengaging the snake to enable the operator to manipulate the snake byhand or to employ power drive therefor.

Still another object is to provide a pipe cleaning tool which is easy-tooperate in that it requires no particular skill, and is of simple,ruggedconstruction.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawings and thefollowing description. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a pipe cleaning tool embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the tool of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, but on alarger scale;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 3.

More particularly describing the invention, 11 generally designates aframe shown made of tubular stock which is bentto form a pair ofground-engaging base sections 12, a pair of forward,- convergingsections 14 which are rearwardly inclined, and a pair of rear sections15 which are joined at their upper ends by a bridging section 16. Ahandle 17 is mounted on section 16. The

2,955,307 Patented oct. 11', teen frame supports a pair of journals,designated 20 and .21 respectively which rotatably support .a storage.01 container 22 in which the plum'bers snake is coiled in .a mannerwell known 'in the art. A portion .of the snake is shown projectingaxially from the drum and is designated by the letter S. A motor ismounted upon a bracket 25 supported on a crosspiece 26. The motor isadapted to rotate the drum by .means of a belt .27 passing around thecylindrical portion .28 of the drum and a sheave 29 upon the motor shaft'30.

A shelf bracket 32 extends between the two frame sections 14 andsupports the aforementioned journal 21. Also mounted on the bracket 32is a frame member 34 which is secured by means of capscrews 35. 'Member34 provides two upwardly extending platelike portions 36 and 37 whichare spaced laterally and are generally .parallel. These provide arelatively large space 38 therebetween to accommodate a sheave 40 whichis fixedly mounted on a tubular drive shaft 41 journaled in pot tions 36and 37 of the frame 34. The outer end of the drive tube 41 supports asnake-engaging drive means designated generally by 44. This lattermember is .simi: lar. to .a collet type chuck in that it includes amovable collar 45 having a cam face 46 v therein having tapered endfaces 4 The member 47 is formed on its inner surface 50 with screwthreads formed to mate with the outer surface of the snake S.

The collar 45 is adjustably carried upon a feed drive body 52 which isfixedly secured to the front end of the drive tube 41. Member 52 iscounterbored at 53 to receive sleeve 47 and a retainer sleeve 54therefor. The latter is slotted at its inner end at 54 to receive thecars 47 of sleeve 47. Collar 45 is slotted at 45' to accommodate a screw56 which threads into member 52, and is used for tightening the devicein either engaged or disengaged position.

In order to provide a safe, easily releasable drive connection betweenthe motor 24 and the snake drive means 44, I provide a gear housing 60having mating sections 61 and 62. Journaled in the housing are twomeshing gears, designated 63 and 64 respectively. One of these is keyedto the shaft 30' of the motor and the other is keyed to a stub shaft 66upon the outer end of which is fixed a sheave 67. A belt 68 is trainedaround the sheaves 40 and 67.

It will be apparent that the housing is mounted for pivotal movementabout the axis of the motor shaft to vary the tightness of the belt 68.In order to control the position of the gear housing 60, I provide alink 70 which is pivotally mounted at the upper end, of the housing at71 and pivotally mounted at its upper end upon a foot portion 73 of avertically movable handle 74 which is carried in a guide tube 75.

In the operation of the device, the motor 24 (which should be areversible electric motor with suitable controls therefor, the controlsnot having been shown) serves to rotate' drum 28 in which a portion ofthe snake S is coiled thereby serving to rotate thesnake about its axison the axis of rotation of the drum 22. With the snake drive means 44 indisengaged position the snake may be advanced or retracted manually.However if the means 44 is moved to snake-engaging position, the snakecan thenbe driven axially. If the belt 68 is loose and thus does notserve to rotate the means 44, the latter will act as a stationary nutand the snake, which is rotated by rotation of the drum 22, will threaditself axially either forwardly or rearwardly therethrough, dependingupon the direction of rotation. In this connection, the inherentfriction of the means 44 plus the Weight of the belt on the sheave 40 isnormally suflicient to cause means 44 to remain substantiallystationary. In order to advance or retract the snake at a faster rate itis only necessary to and a split sleeve 47 manipulate the handle 74 bypressing down thereupon to means 44. The gearing in the housing 60ofcour-se serves to reverse the direction of rotation of the means 44with respect to the drum 22 and snake S, thereby rendering the means 44efiective to rapidly advance or retract the snake.

While I have shown a preferred form of my invention, I contemplate thatvarious changes and modifications can be made therein without departingfrom the scope of the invention as indicated by the claims.

I claim:

1. In a pipe cleaning machine, a frame, a drum rotatably mounted on saidframe and having an opening on its axis of rotation for axially passinga snake member,

a snake drive means mounted on said frame forwardly of said drum forrotation about the same axis as the 20 drum, a snake member comprisingan elongated helically coiled spring adapted to be substantially housedin said drum, said snake member extending from the drumi through theopening therein and through said snake drive means, said snake drivemeans including a chuck device having jaws adapted releasably tothreadedly engage with the snake member, a motor mounted on said framebeneath said drum and said snake drive means and having a shaft, asheave fixed to the shaft of the motor, a drive belt around said sheaveand around a peripheral portion of said drum for driving the drum, anddisengageable drive means between said motor shaft and said snake drivemeans.

2. A pipe cleaning machine as set forth in claim 1 in which thedisengageable drive means between said moto'r shaft and said snake drivemeans includes a sheave on said snake drive means, a gear housing, apair of meshing gears journalled in the housing for rotation aboutparallel axes, one of said gears being fixed to the motor shaft, asheave fixedly secured to the other gear, a belt loosely trained aboutthe sheave on said gear and the sheave of the snake drive means, andmeans for adjusting the position of said gear case pivotally about theaxis of said motor shaft to adjustably tighten said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS647,765 Schulz Apr. 17, 1900 869,058 Callan Oct. 22, 1907 950,431Bradford Feb. 22, 1910 1,225,222 Covert May 8, 1917 2,075,215 MagruderMar. 30, 1937 2,355,733 Johnson et a1. Aug. 15, 1944 2,385,735 SkeltonSept. 25, 1945 2,562,574 Poekert July 31, 1951 2,619,665 Hopkins et a1.Dec. 2, 1952

